Look into my eyes
by furubasuta.roronoa
Summary: Mai:Hello! *waves* My name is Mai and if your gonna read this story then you'll have to listen to everything I say! Now, dress up like an elephant and dance like a ballerina! Bonna:Haha, nice try. You can't tell 'em what to do, but I can tell you. So you do what you just said right now! Mai:Who died and made you boss? Bonna:You will if you don't follow my orders. Mai:Tch.Fine.
1. One

**Yay! I finished my first chapter of my first One Piece story :D ! So read it and tell me what you think…! I appreciate all ideas you give me, so just DM me something that came to your mind while reading this, and I'll find a way to fit it in the story somehow! Hope you enjoy~!**

* * *

"Don Krieg, it's him! The one who destroyed our fleet!" the panic in the voice of the man who said that was easy to notice.

"He came all the way out here to kill us!" one of Krieg's pirates was scarred since the last time they faced him they survived by a hair.

"He's the one who destroyed a fleet of 50 ships?" Patty, one of the tough cooks which hated Sanji a bit too much, muttered more to his nose than the people around him.

"Then, he's the one who destroyed Krieg's ship just now?!"

"He looks like any normal guy… And he doesn't seem to be wielding any special weapon…"

"If you're looking for his weapon, it's on his back." The owner of the Baratie, the one who once sailed the waters of the Grand Line, Red-leg Zeff crossed his arms on his chest.

"Y-You mean he cut that gigantic galleon by swinging that?!"

"Yes. The 'Hawk-eyed man' is a renowned swordsman. More renowned than any other swordsman in the world."

"Dammit! What did we ever do to you?! Why the hell do you have to follow us all the way out here?" one of Krieg's worshippers pulled out a gun and aimed it towards the man in shadow.

"…To kill some time" he looked up to see the scared faces of the self-loving pirates.

"That's bullshit!" the one that pulled out a gun shot at the man on the wee boat, whose real name was Dracule Mihawk (the man, not the boat). But, the hawk-eyed man didn't seem that interested. He just pulled out his sword and blocked the bullets' path, changing their trajectory.

"What? I-It missed?!"

"He deflected it. It will be the same no matter how many times you shoot. He can change the bullet's path with the tip of his sword" the green-haired man came from behind the shooter, scarring him "I've never seen such graceful moments."

"A sword with no grace is no strong sword" the man with the black hat shortly replied, sheathing his sword.

"Did you cut this ship as well with that sword?" the younger swordsman continued.

"Yes, indeed."

"No wonder…you really are the strongest" "Ehh, three swords..? Could it be..?" Krieg's pirates just now noticed that that moss-head is actually former 'Pirate Hunter' Zoro.

"I set sail to meet you."

"What do you aim for?"

"To be the world's strongest."

"And how do you plan on doing so?"

"You said you were free, how about having a duel?" Roronoa tied his bandana around his head, which meant he's being serious.

"Fine." Mihawk stepped onto the part of the ship that Zoro was standing on. Before starting the duel, he took the cross that was around his neck and pulled off the top. Turned out it was a little knife.

"What is that toy?!" Zoro was offended to see that his opponent wasn't taking him seriously.

"I am unlike those idiots that go all out just to hunt a mere rabbit. I'm afraid this is the smallest blade I have in the moment."

"There's a limit to where you can underestimate me!" Zoro was getting into his signature pose "Don't regret it when you die! _Oni giri! _"

Mihawk, clearly he was all that what it was said, quickly discovered the attack's weak spot and aimed for it. Zoro's swords were stopped with a single knife.

'_How can this be?!' a drop of sweat came down his forehead _ _'He stopped my signature move with that toy! Surely there isn't that big of a gap between our strength! The world can't be this far away!'_

"Such ferocity…" from a distance it looked like Mihawk was just playing with the young man. Of course, the difference in level between them was vast, which was why Dracule was able to take Zoro on so easily.

"I didn't train so hard until today just to fight this stupid toy! I trained to win!" a flash of Kuina when she expressed her wish to be a boy flashed in Zoro's head. He backed away and then went for another strike. One false move allowed Mihawk to thrust his tiny knife in Zoro's chest. Blood dripped on the wooden planks, as the man with the yellow eyes asked his opponent "Why don't you step back? Do you wish me to pierce your heart thus? Why do you refuse to step back?"

"Beets me…not really sure myself… But I get the feeling that if I take even one step back right now, I'd lose something very important to me, a promise or oath…or whatever it is would be irreversibly broken, and that I'd never be able to return back to where I'm standing right now."

"Yes, such is defeat."

"Haha, then I guess that's why I can't step back."

"Even if it means your death?" the man slightly raised his head.

"I'd rather much die!" the green haired swordsman grinned as more blood dropped from the corners of his mouth.

'_What conviction he possesses! To rather choose death than defeat…' _the world's strongest thought to himself, pulling the small blade out of his young opponent's chest "Kid, tell me your name."

"Roronoa Zoro."

"I shall remember it. For your strength is not oft seen in this world. And to pay you respect as my fellow swordsman, I shall end this duel with my black sword, the world's strongest sword."

He pulled out his sword as Zoro ran towards him in a last effort to defeat him. "Sanzen sekai!" Two of his swords shattered and he spit out more blood. _'I lost…I'm no match for him', _he thought sheathing his only remaining sword_ 'Never even thought about the possibility of losing…So this is the strength of the world's strongest…!' _He turned around to face his opponent with his arms wide open.

"What…?"

"A wound on one's back, is the shame of a swordsman!" what proved his determination even more was the huge grin he had on his face.  
"Splendid" a quick move with his sword declared Mihawk the winner and caused Zoro to lose his consciousness and fall in the deep water.

"ZORO!" Luffy, who was tensely watching the battle, was now charging with his fist towards Mihawk.

"Brother!" Yosaku and Johnny jumped into the ocean to save Zoro from certain death.

"Don't throw away your life just yet, young one."

"Is he breathing?!" Johnny said as they pulled him out of the water and onto the small wooden boat.

"Quick, apply the medicine to his wounds!"

"I am Dracule Mihawk! It is much too early for you to die. Know thy self! Know thy world! And become strong, Roronoa! No matter how many months or years pass by, I shall stand here at the top of the world and wait for you! So forge on ahead with that fierce conviction and try to surpass my sword! Surpass me, Roronoa!" Mihawk gave a speech, followed by a clap, but no one noticed the applauding person until later.

"Bro! Answer me!" Johnny was yelling worriedly.

"Boy, what do you aim for?" Mihawk turned to Luffy.

"Pirate King" the straw hat wearing boy quickly replied.

"A tough path indeed. Tougher than surpassing myself."

"Whatever! I'm going to do it anyway!" Luffy stuck out his tongue at Mihawk "Usopp! Is Zoro alright?!"

"Like hell he'd be alright!" Usopp, who went with Yosaku and Johnny to save Zoro, yelled at his captain "But he's still alive anyway! He only lost his consciousness!"

"Bro…please answer us..!" the two bounty hunters were even more worried than before.

Zoro, regaining his consciousness, with an unsteady hand, raised his only remaining sword "Luffy…can you hear me…? Sorry for…worrying you… I know that, if I don't become the world's strongest swordsman, it will only embarrass you" he coughed up some blood.

"Please don't talk anymore, bro!"

"I swear, that I will never lose again!" the young swordsman was crying and covering his face with his other hand "Until the day I fight him and win, I swear, to never lose again! Any problems, Pirate King?!"

"Hee-hee. Nope" the young pirate grinned.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here…? I haven't seen you in a while, Dracule. What business do you have, almost killing this man..?" a mischievous woman's voice interrupted the moment.

"Ah, Yajiko, I've been looking for you" the man with the black hat turned confront a beautiful black haired girl with a devilish smile "I heard that you caused quite some trouble in East Blue, have you not?" Mihawk knew the woman well since he addressed with her surname.

"Well, those marines were asking for it."

"Wait, could you be…Yajiko Mai, the world's most famous female pirate…?!" some unknown pirate said, his face pale.

"I see…I'm even famous in these weak waters. Well, that doesn't matter at the moment, what, or more precisely, who, I'm searching for is Monkey D. Luffy, the leader of the Strawhat pirates."

"I'm Monkey D. Luffy" the boy whose name the girl mentioned stood up to face her.

"Ah, yes, I see" she smiled dearly "Well, I wish to join your crew, if you would accept me."

You'll have to prove to me that you're a good person first."

"What should I do future Pirate King?"

"Hmm…"

* * *

_After the Don Krieg and Arlong Park arcs…_

* * *

"So Luffy, did I prove to you that I'm a good person?" the girl laughed along with the others.

"Yup, you bet!" Luffy grinned, which approved that Mai was now an official member of the Strawhats.

"Hooray! Welcome to the Strawhats, Mai!" the crew was cheering and Mai couldn't help but smile.

* * *

_Few days ago…_

* * *

"Yosaku, you can stop crying now…" the girl sweatdropped at the man with the weird hat. She had an astonishing beauty, black wavy hair with a red headband strapped over it, one streak of which was decorated with three wooden beads. Her eye color varied between blue and green, depending on her mood and surroundings. Around her neck she had a necklace and something similar to a cowboy mask, but not that big. The sleeveless shirt she wore was short, so it partially covered her front, which Sanji found most delightful. On her stomach and her back there were some noticeable cuts and bruises, probably from a battle. Her light denim shorts went great with her tall brown boots. The way she approached Mihawk and observed his battle with Zoro made her all the more mysterious. And not to mention that she had some letters carved on the biggest bead on her necklace.

"But it was so touching..!" Yosaku continued to cry.

"Oh Mai-kwuun~! You are so kawaii~!" Sanji's eyes were shaped like hearts as he stared at the 'beauty of the sea', as he called her "And, uhm, are you keeping an eye out for the boat's direction?"

"I can't wait until we get Nami back!" the captain was stretching his arms, a foolish wide grin on his face, as usual.

"Even if we do get Nami back, there will only be 5 people in the crew. Are you planning on going to Grand Line with only five people?" Sanji lit another cigarette.

"Ahem..! **Six **people!" Mai was pouted like a child.

"You're still not a part of the crew, you know. But, I wish you were, Mai-kwuun~!"

"You bet I'll be!" she placed her hands on her hips "Besides, you need someone who's been to Grand Line in your crew…someone… who knows the world better…"

"You mean you've been to Grand Line…?!" they all looked at her surprised.

"By myself. At the age of 10" the girl smirked throwing back her hair.

"Whoa! That's so cool~!" Luffy leaned towards her "What's it like?"

"Paradise!…" and she started to tell them about her adventures in the toughest waters.

Unexpectedly, and just when she was getting to the good parts, Mai stopped with the story, raised her head, stood up and said with that mysterious accent "I have to get going now…"

"But we're surrounded by sea. Where do you plan to go…?!" Sanji raised his twisted eyebrow.

"You need not threat. For I shall be fine. The one for whom you should be worrying is you. Off I go now" and just like that, she jumped from the ship and into the water.

"Mai..!" they all lined up at the edge of the boat. In the vast distance they saw a human arm waving at them, heading towards Fishman island with great speed. At least she was okay…physically, anyway…

* * *

_A few minutes later, Arlong Park…_

* * *

'_I knew you'd be here, Roronoa…!' _Mai thought to herself while standing on the third roof of the main building, lurking in the shadows.

"…Some bandages you've got there." Nami looked at the green haired swordsman, who had jumped in the water not too long ago.

"I just didn't have any change in clothes, that's all!" Zoro was hiding the fact about the battle with Mihawk. After he said that with his dreamy smirk, the orange haired cartographer punched him in the stomach which made him bend over and then fall down on his back.

"Some punch you landed on 'im…!" the sound of someone landing on the ground was coming from near the main building in Arlong Park.

"And who are you supposed to be…?" Nami turned around to face the black haired beauty.

"Yajiko Mai. I will be joining your crew" the girl smirked.

"…Arlong…?" the thief turned to look at her captain raising his shoulders.

"No, not Fish-food-to-be's crew… I'm talking about the Strawhats."

"Well, I'm not a part of that crew, so that doesn't concern me. I was just using them to get money. And it worked."

"How much do you wanna bet that you'll return to the Strawhats sooner or later?" Mai slightly raised her head.

"Would you get out of here?! You're an eyesore" Nami was getting impatient.

"Whatever Nami. Just, _don't let Roronoa escape. Hehehe…"_ she laughed mysteriously.

"That bitch…" Nami turned around and was about to tell some of the fishmen to throw Zoro in jail when she realized something "How did you know my name…?!"

"Heh. You really wanna know, don't ya…?" the black haired girl didn't bother to turn around. She could see Nami's face, on which were traces of anger and impatience, perfectly well.

"Yes. Now tell me if you know what's good for ya…!"

After that threat, Mai turned slowly to come face to face with Nami, "Oh really…! And what is good for me, if I may ask…?" she was toying with the crew officer of the Arlong pirates. Nami huffed, which meant that she was getting really pissed.

"Just leave already!" not knowing what to say, she tried to chase her out.

"Now, now, is that the way you treat guests around here?" she was looking down at a frustrated Nami "Arlong, you should really teach this young girl some manners…!"

"She's right, Yajiko. Leave already. You know you're not wanted in these waters" Arlong spoke with her in a different tone, kind of quiet. Like a weak little kid when talking to a big bully.

"I'm not wanted in any waters, if you put it that way. Even you witnessed how much trouble I can cause. Well, I'll try and forget your rudeness and escort myself out. Au revoir…!"

"Who is she, Arlong…?!" Nami asked after the girl had finally left.

"She is…on such a bigger level than any of us. The Queen of Destruction is what they call her. With the ability to destroy an entire island, she outpowers even us fishmen…! I'm sorry to say, that a human can actually defeat a fishman, but it's true. She is the one that can '_read_'."

"_Read…?!_" Nami looked tense.

"It's better that you don't know. Although, one thing bothers me…what's a monster like her doing out here?! She should be somewhere in Grand Line…maybe she returned to get revenge or something…!"

"Search me…" Nami helplessly raised her shoulders.

* * *

_After some time…_

* * *

'_How can he live with these wounds…?_' Arlong was looking at the wounds that Zoro earned from his fight with the world's strongest swordsman, Dracule Mihawk _'And that glare…that's not the look of a dying man…!' _Before he could do anything that would harm the badly wounded swordsman, a quick flash saved Zoro. Mai.

"Heh. Quite the thickhead, aren't you…?" she said as he was leaning on her shoulder, catching his breath "Can't believe you went and fought that guy with such a wound. Although, I would've done the same thing. But next time, don't rely on my speed. I can't save your sorry ass all the time."

"Who are you…and why did you save me…?" Zoro grabbed his wound.

"Hurts, doesn't it..?" Mai said after introducing herself and helped Zoro sit down.

"A little" he bent over and then spread on his back "Okay, a lot…"

"I got cut by that kitchen knife once. Just when he got it and I told him to try it out by fighting me. Dracule. Apparently he wasn't as strong back then as he is now."

"You know Mihawk for a long time, huh..?"

"Can't say I don't. We were really close a long time ago, like father and daughter. But something happened and we drifted away from each other. I mean, I grew up and I didn't need his care anymore. I was eight then. I still see him as a father figure, though…"

"Eight…? You consider yourself grown up at the age of eight..?"

"My childhood is way different than anyone else's. Like a butcher's shop. Too much blood…"

"…"

"Well, I gotta go watch the big fight..!"

"You can watch it from here as well."

"But I like to get up-close to the action. It's more thrilling that way!" she smiled and with the blink of an eye was standing next to Nami.

'_I sure hope she joins our crew…' _Zoro was thinking to himself _'We need someone that knows the world better. And I feel kinda better around her. But is she really a good person? She did save me from Arlong. Well, it's all up to Luffy to decide. I feel like I've seen her somewhere before…' _

'_He oughta be throwing that desk out any second now…Heh' _Mai was predicting. After a few shortmoments Nami's desk went flying out of the building.

* * *

_The present day…_

* * *

"So anyways, where'll I sleep?" Mai's voice was tired as it was nearly midnight.

"Ah, well…you can sleep in the girls room with Nami…!" Usopp, being the one on guard tonight, proposed a sleeping spot for the eccentric young lady.

"Meh…" the girl shook her head in disagreement "Too boring. Ya know what…?! I'll sleep up there!" she pointed to the crow's nest.

"You can't sleep up there! If you do, we'll step all over your items when we go up there…!"

"Don't have any" she simply said, looking at what she saw as her sleeping spot.

"And, Zoro sleeps there often as well. What if he doesn't agree with you suddenly taking his spot?!"

"Who cares what Pickle-head says…?!"

"Suit yourse - wait, what did you call Zoro just now…?!"

"Pickle-head."

"…"

"…"

"AHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHAH P-Pickle head AHAHAHAHAHAHHA"

With all the commotion it was only natural that the others would get out of their rooms.

"Oi! What's going on out here?!" Sanji's voice was the first that came after Usopp's laughter.

"S-She called Zoro Pi-Pi-Pick- AHHAHHAHAHAHAAH"

"What was he trying to say?" Sanji then turned to Mai, seeing that his friend lost it for good this time.

"Pickle-head." Mai said with the same straight face from when she repeated it to Usopp.  
"GAHAHAHAHAHA PICKLE HEAD AHAHAHAH" everyone – except Zoro, who was the target of the joke, and Mai, who didn't think that her joke was _that_ funny – bursted out laughing.

"It's…not that funny…" Mai sweatdropped at her looney crewmates.

"It's…the way you say it- HAHAAHAHAHAHA" Luffy was rolling on the ground.

"You say it with such a straight face –AHAHAHAHA I can't AHAHAHA" Usopp grabbed his stomach.

"Okay guys, calm down." Mai still didn't understand the way these lunatics behaved. And she doubted she ever will.

_Few minutes later…_

"So Zoro, I'll be sleeping in the Crow's Nest from now on" after the bunch calmed down, Mai told the swordsman.

"Whatever" he shook his head and went to the boys' room to get back to sleep.

"Well, bye guys. See ya in the morn" Mai waved at the others as they entered the rooms, "And Usopp," she turned to the sniper "if you want, we can trade shifts."

"Nah" Usopp looked at the girl in pyjamas sitting in the Crow's Nest "My shift ends in about an hour, so you won't have to take over. It's your first day in the crew, after all. Relax a bit."

"Whatever you say. Gun'night" she slid to the ground with her back pressed on the wooden railing. After fixing her pillow, she buried her head in it and fell fast asleep.

* * *

**Ta-daa~! What'ya think? I know pickle-head isn't that funny, but it was the best thing I could think of in the moment. All critique is appreciated. Please review :3 !**


	2. Two

**Hai-hai~ Bonna-chan is posting another chapter! Hope you guys like it and, I know, the story develops way too fast… but I'll fix that soon!**

* * *

"Another price increase? Don't you think it's getting a bit too expensive? Raise the price again and I won't be buying your papers anymore." The navigator slipped the coin in the satchel around the seagull's neck.

"The only thing you think about is money, isn't it?" Mai let out a bored sigh.

"Yes." Usopp answered instead of Nami "And what are you getting so worked up about? It's just a newspaper."

"Daily expenses add up, you know?" the money-freak started philosophizing.

"I thought you were done with saving money…?" the long-nose was crafting something in his little corner of the ship.

"Don't be ridiculous! From now on, I'm only gonna save money for myself!"

"Well then don't expect to get a big share from the crew's budget." Mai raised an eyebrow "What are we even talking about anyway…?"

"An enemy that gets this in their eye," Usopp was, once again, talking to himself about how great he is "will be rendered completely help-" Luffy was fighting with Sanji, and apparently lost, so he pushed Usopp and the tabasco splashed in his eye.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAH-!"

"Can't I just have one?!" the fight was about the oranges that Nami brought along.

"Absolutely not!" he turned to Nami with his eyes shaped like hearts "Rest assured, my dear Nami, that your oranges are well guarded by my power of love~!"

"Thanks Sanji~!"

"You're just using him as your pet monkey." Mai declared, "_sigh… _I'm going to the Nest."

"Do as you please." The Sanji-user flipped a page of the paper.

A piece of paper then fell on the deck. They all looked at it, except for Zoro, who was taking a nap, _as usual_, and Usopp, who was still rolling around the ship from the spicy liquid that was in his eyes.

"AAAAH-!" the ship was now heading for Grand Line.

"Yipee~! Looks like we're wanted men now! And it says 30 million beli!"

_SWEATDROP_

"Once again, you fail to understand the gravity of the situation."

"Good enough amount for the first time." Mai smiled, grabbing the poster from the boy's hand.

"Hey, Mai…do you have a bounty?" Luffy turned to her.

"Yup…!" she grinned childishly.

"Really?!" Nami raised her head.

"Aha. I think I have a poster somewhere…" she dug in her pocket and pulled out a wrinkly piece of paper "Here it is!" she showed it to the others.

"450 MILLION?!"

"Is that a bad thing?" she tried to look as innocent as possible.

"What exactly did you do to get such a high amount?!"

"_sigh…_Long story short, I come from an island which I left on the age of three with my late mom's boat and I drifted aimlessly on the sea a few days and then I met this guy with yellow eyes who was heading to Loguetown and after we went there he decided to take me with him on his island. Oh, and, I've also been to Grand Line and fought a good amount of marine bastards."

"…Hawk-eyes?" Zoro asked.

"The one and only…" she smiled at the ground.

"That was too short!" Luffy pouted.

"I feel like it's enough for now. B'sides, there's an island over there." She pointed at one lonesome piece of land.

"Land ahoy!" the group suddenly became cheerful.

Mai smirked.

"What are you plotting…?" Nami looked at her suspiciously.

"Nothing… at the moment."

"Then what's that creepy smile for…?"

"Heh…" she threw her head back "Loguetown."

"The beginning of the end…" Nami shut her yap and looked at the death-trap of an island.

"Exactly."

_At the town…_

* * *

"So this is where the Pirate Era started, eh?" Sanji raised his twisted brow.

"Sure is big, ne?" Mai said protecting her eyes from the sun with her hand.

"I can get some fine food ingredients from here…!" Sanji went off to look for a food shop, also thinking about the high chances to find some beautiful women as well.

"I need some supplies as well." Usopp left the bunch and started looking around the town.

"Okay then, I'm gonna go see the execution stand!" the captain left, leaving only Mai, Nami and Zoro.

"Well…there is something I would like to buy, but…" Zoro browsed for a sword shop that was in his view.

"I'll gladly lend you money…at a 300% interest. Hihi."

"…I have some things to take care of… Be back in about an hour." Mai put her hands in her pockets and the two lost sight of her once she entered an alley.

_After they all split…_

* * *

"Seems like that boss of yours isn't here today…" a woman's voice came from the group of people.

"It's your fault that he's in prison!"

"If you still haven't learned your lesson, I will gladly teach it to you again."

"Oh…? Am I hearing correctly? A little miss like you wants to fight us?!" apparently the one talking was either of the two jerks.

"Well, why not!" the other creep laughed.

A few smack-talks here and there and a swing of a sword and they were both down (_pathetic!). _

"Wh-Whoa…!" after her victory, the girl tripped and fell in front of Zoro.

"Here you go." He passed her the glasses.

"T-Thank you…! And, sorry for troubling you." She blushed and put her glasses on. Zoro froze at the first better look at her. The mighty Pirate Hunter didn't know how to react to one single girl. Highlight the word _single. _And she did resemble Kuina quite a lot.

* * *

"Dragon." The black haired beauty spoke with an aura of mystery in her tone.

"Yajiko." The man with a heck of an awesome tattoo on the left side of his face nodded his head.

"You're following, aren't you…? Pretty sneaky of you."

"You joined him…?"

"Why not? I was looking for a small crew to join and while I was 'seeing' what was going on in Red's village, I stumbled upon this interesting enthusiastic boy and I decided to join him. I was just waiting for the right time to approach."

"As long as you don't cause him too much trouble, it's okay for me."

"His dream is to be a pirate. Of course he'll get into trouble."

"Heh. Farewell, Yajiko."

"See you soon, Dragon." She smiled under the shade of the alley and went for the coast.

_Meanwhile, on a certain island…_

* * *

"Hawk-eyes…! What're you doin' here?!"

"I wish to speak to your captain. To be hanging on islands such as this…what is that man thinking…?"

"CAAAAPTAAAAAAIN!"

"Hmm?"

"He-He's here _*pant*_ Hawk-Eyes…!"

"Ah, quite the rare guest I have. Have you come to settle things with a fight once and for all? Even though I'm not in the mood."

"As if I'd want to fight a man with only one arm. I came to talk to you about a boy from a certain village…" he passed the flyer to the red-haired man.

"So, you've come out at last, Luffy…!" He smiled and his face was now slightly lightened up, revealing that he's Shanks himself _(as if you didn't know it was him already…)_

_Back to Mai…_

* * *

'_Damn…they sure are far…Will I be able to catch him before he leaves? It's worth a try, anyway… The nerve of that old man, making me follow him 'round these pathetic seas… Guess I have no choice…' _she dove into the water and after a flash of a second was half a kilometer away from the coast.

_To the red-head and the yellow eyed…_

* * *

"Well, I'll be leaving now." Mihawk _(big surprise it's him) _said after the whole 'party' was over.

"Come ooon~! Stay a bit longer and celebrate!" Shanks emptied another glass of beer.

"I have something to finish."

"Well, too bad. I can't force you to stay, after all."

"Farewell." He got on his coffin-boat and left the island.

A few minutes afterwards, the girl on a search reached the island.

"Gaah! Missed 'im by a hair… Yo Shanks! How's life treatin' ya?" Mai tried to start a normal conversation, even if she did know she can't keep it up for long.

"Mai! Don't go sayin' normal things like that, okay? You know, Mihawk was just here."

"I know, I know. Anyways, whatcha doin' on an island like this one?"

"Who knows…? Hey, you're gonna stay and drink some with us, right? I heard that Luffy finally showed his head and now we're celebratin'!"

"Ah, I heard as much. Wan' me ta' tell ya somethin'?"

"Go ahead, girlie."

"I joined his crew, hihi…!"

"Really?! How is he? Is he getting into too much trouble? What's the crew's name? Where are you right now?"

"Yes, just fine, of course, Strawhats an' Loguetown."

"Strawhats…"

"You're his inspiration, ya know. Although he hasn't mentioned ya in front of the crew yet, I recognized the hat."

"That boy…"

"…is gonna become the Pirate King. Great minds think alike."

"Ya got a fine head on your shoulders. And you resemble your mother pretty much. Good luck with findin' that stone!"

"Thanks! And, I'd wish ya luck too, but Luffy's gonna beat ya to it, so I'm not gonna say anythin'!"

"Don't take the Red-Haired Pirates so lightly."

"Ya've said that a million times. Whoa, look at the time…well, I'll be getting' back now…! And thanks for the drinks!"

"See ya, Snake whisperer…OI! YOU DRANK ALL THE SAKE! AFTER HER, MEN!"

"See ya, suckaz!" she dove into the sea and was too distant from them so that they could catch up.

_After the whole 'Luffy's gonna be executed' incident…_

* * *

"AHAHHAHAAH! You idiots almost got killed by a 'witwe mawine'! AHAHAHAHA!"

"…Shut up."

"So, we're heading for the Grand Line, are we? I propose a toast!" Sanji brought out a barrel of sake "To find All Blue." He put his foot on the barrel.

"To become the Pirate King!" Luffy followed Sanji's lead.

"To be the world's greatest swordsman."

"To draw a map of the world!"

"To-To be a brave warrior of the sea…!"

"…To find the Serpent's Eye!" Mai said with a little trace of doubt.

"Off to Grand Line we go!"

_CRACK_

"Oi, Mai… What's the Serpent's Eye?" Zoro raised his brow.

"You don't need ta' know, bud." Usopp freaked out.

"Hey, Usopp…" Luffy turned to the member of the Idiot Trio, that would be complete after Chopper joined "Who do you think is scarier: Nami or Mai?"

"I'm only scary if you provoke me." Nami waved her hand.

"Same here. If you don't ask me about my personal things, I ain't gonna do ya any harm. But, if you do, may God have mercy on your soul."

"Let's test it out!" Luffy had another one of his 'brilliant' ideas "Men, huddle!"

_SWEATDROP_

The males of the crew gathered up, and quietly decided that it's gonna be Zoro who's gonna test the two out. He didn't like it, but pretty much nothing could scare him, so he went along with their little game.

"Well, Zoro, do something…"

"Like what…?" the captain whispered something in his ear.

"Fair enough." He ran to the orange trees, grabbing one of the fruits "Oi, Nami…! Mind if I take one?" he was pulling on the one he grabbed.

"Don't you _dare _touch my oranges."

"…creepy…" Usopp said from behind Sanji's back.

Now it was Mai's turn.

"Oi, Mai… what was the name of the island you left at age three aga-"

"If you ever bring up _anything _that I have told you about my past, I _swear, _I will stab you with your own swords and then I'll grind you under my feet like the _little worthless pest you are_."

"Ma-Mai's scary~!"

"She ain't that sca-"

"_Hiss…_"*

"I-I'm sorry…" she crawled back to the rest of the members, who were watching without a peep.

"Now then, let's continue with what we were doing, shall we?" Mai changed her mood faster than you could say 'Cheese and Whiskers'.

"You-You're the sca-scariest person I have ever come across…"

"That wasn't even my best."

"What is?" Zoro was playing with her patience.

"Try to provoke me and you'll see."

The crew, leaving out Nami, spent the rest of the day trying to find out just how scary Mai really is.

"Listen, guys. I know you're plotting to get me mad but I can't show my 'final scare-form' unless I truly hate someone."

"Who do you truly hate?" Luffy's head tilted to the left.

"A lot of people."

"Example…?"

"Well…my arch enemies are the marines, other than them there are pirates like Sea Hunter Earling and Big Kabora."

"Who are they?"

"Exactly."

"…"

"_sigh…_You people are too stupid. After their shameful loss, they retreated from being pirates."

"You got 'em that bad?" she was starting to rub off even on Usopp.

"Guess you could say so. Hey, you guys know my mark?"

"Nope."

"Then I'll show ya." She pulled out a dagger that was similar to the one that Mihawk stabbed Zoro in the chest with. He seemed to notice it.

"I know it's a lot like Dracule's." She looked up at him and then started engraving her symbol in the planks of the Nest. _(I hope Mr. Internet is nice enough to let you open this, so you could see what it looks like: imanager/image_ ?imageid=621415&width=300&hash=53843c859b5f348c7a4ea1926ee5 3d45 Otherwise, it's something like a crossover between the letters M(ai) and Y(ajiko), and the 'neck' of the Y is drawn like a diamond and the lines of the letter in different colors that represent the main color-changes of her eyes: blue, green, yellow and red. And then again, if it does let you open, sorry for the bad quality but it was drawn in Paint, thank you very much)_

"It's cool!" Of course the captain would say something like that.

"Where do you use it…?" Sanji took a better look at the weird symbol _(Note: on the wooden planks it was not in color)_

"Ah, yes. The reason I brought it up… I use this little dagger to forever scar it onto the skin of the people I truly hate. So, about one quarter of the entire worth of those pathetic marines in this puny world has this somewhere on their bodies."

"Evil~!"

"I know~ MUAHAHAHAHA" She laughed maniacally "Maybe you'll see me doing it to someone that will do harm to one of you or some other friend, hihi."

"Where are you, idiots?! I discovered something…!" they got down from the Nest and went into the kitchen/dining room.

Nami spread the map on the table "No matter how you look at it, the entrance to the Grand Line is a mountain…!"

"WHAT?!"

"That can't be possible…!"

"it's true, actually." Mai seemed pretty calm, unlike the others "You see, there's a canal across the mountain, so if we can sail through it we'll be fine. Also, Nami, watch out so we don't enter the Calm Belt, okay?" she gave a wink to the navigator.

"You're right. It would be the end if we entered the Calm Belt. Sanji, Usopp, steer the ship towards the mountain!"

"Aye-aye Nami-chwan~!" Sanji's eyes were shaped like hearts.

After the direction was set and they entered the canal, Nami praised Mai "You saved us from a lot of trouble, you know…"

"I know, hihi."

"Mai-kwun~! You are so brilliant! You too, Nami-chwan~!" The cook's cig was making heart-shaped smoke clouds.

_SWEATDROP_

"AAAH! We're gonna hit the side! Grab the rudder and steer away from the gate!"

Sanji and Usopp ran to the rudder "It's stuck!"

_CRACK_

"It-It…" Nami started crying anime-tears.

"Gomu-gomu no Balloon!" Luffy jumped off the ship and landed between it and the gate just in time to bounce it off.

"Phew…that was close." Mai sighed in relief.

"Luffy! Grab my hand!"

"Yahoo! We reached the Grand Line!" Mai was jumping around the ship excitedly.

"You sure are happy for someone who's been there before." Zoro commented.

"I've been to Grand Line before, yes, but I've only entered it once."

"How long did ya stay?"

"About 7 years."

"…"

"Hihi. Grand Line, here we come!" She laughed out loud like the weirdo she was.

"I can see it up ahead!" the captain was hanging on to Merry's head and was looking at the vast distance that they were heading for.

The six-member crew was now sailing for the destination they chose as their final.

"A mountain!"

"It's a whale, dimwit!" Mai smacked Usopp on the head.

"It's huge…!"

"How are we gonna pass it?!"

"Solve it yourselves. I already 'saw' what's gonna happen so I'll sit this out."

"WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN?!"

But it was too late because she already jumped off the ship and into the water, swimming out of their sight.

"YOU LITTLE BITCH! I'LL GET YOU FOR THIS!" Zoro was shouting…and then they got swallowed by a whale.

"GAHAHAHAHA IDIOTS~!" she was rolling on the sandy beach where the lighthouse was located.

* * *

***The hiss is supposed to be something like a snake sound or whatever… **

**Bonna: Did you like the chapter~? Review and I'll force Mai to kiss Zoro in the cheek ^_^  
Mai: WHY THE HELL WOULD I DO THAT?!  
Bonna: Hush, child. Do not speak. For I know your thoughts.  
Mai: AND STOP TALKING LIKE A POET!**

**Seriously though, review. **


End file.
